Living With Great Style

In June, the flower market is bursting with an array of blooms – dahlias, the last peonies of the year, garden roses are slowly coming into bloom, and so much more. This month I wanted Natalie to surprise me with the arrangement. Little did I know that she actually had a hard time selecting what to put together (you’ll hear more details below).

As the arrangement came together in front of my eyes it was hard for me to believe that she had had a hard time selecting each of the flowers. It felt effortless and the combination was stunning. I love the mix of white, yellow and I’m a total sucker for fig branches. Learn more about how this month’s arrangement came together through Natalie’s eyes.

Flowers used this month:

Fig

“Symphony” rose

White scabiosa

“African bride” Love in mist (or nigella)

Geranium leaf

Acidanthera “sword lily”

What inspired you this month?

Some months are easier for me than others. The market is filled with pretty flowers, but sometimes there is that special something that launches the whole creative process. This month, I didn’t see that special bloom right away. We are in between seasons and with peonies being behind us and most of the garden roses ahead of us, I felt that I didn’t know what the obvious choice was for this month. When I saw the figs, I decided to go with that choice.

I love this pretty leaf. What is it?

The leaf is a variety of geranium. I love geranium and find the scent so soothing. It grows really well in San Francisco and I feel inspired to grow some in my own garden.

I love the black and deep purple center two flowers. It seems unusual to find that in a flower, is that true?

Few flowers have such a deep and rich tone in them, that I am drawn to them every time I see it. I love the Love-in-Mist and while it is most commonly seen in blue, I love this black variety. It is delicate but the black touch makes it feel more substantial and strong.

Using figs in the arrangement is a good idea. Do you have any tips for doing that?

I would suggest that when using anything with a thick stem, such as the fig, you should always put it in the vase first. This way you can build your arrangement around the thickness of the fig stems. It really help the structure of the arrangement to have these large stems in first.